The politicization of the European Union – causes, patterns, and consequences - Einzelansicht

European integration was a genuinely elitist project for many decades. Since the early 1990s, however, things have changed. The European Union and its policies have become the objects of intensified and controversial public debates and European issues increasingly influence party political competition. This course will examine these developments by focusing on the causes, patterns, and possible consequences of the politicization of the European Union.

We begin by briefly discussing European integration and the institutional structure of the European Union. Next, we will turn to the concept of politicization: What does it mean if an issue becomes politicized and what are the causes of politicization? How can we operationalize and measure the politicization of the European Union? Then, we will discuss recent empirical studies on the politicization of the European Union: Who are the main drivers of politicization processes? What are the roles of political parties and the media? How is public opinion on European integration connected to the basic dimensions that structure party contestation in the Member States of the European Union? What are the objects of politicization – European policies or the European Union as a whole? Finally, we will focus on the possible consequences of politicization: Does it, for example, lead to political deadlock, will it impede the integration process, or could it even enhance the democratic legitimacy of the European Union?

de Wilde, Pieter; Zürn, Michael (2012): Can the Politicization of European Integration be Reversed? In: Journal of Common Market Studies 50 (1), S. 137–153.

Hooghe, Liesbet; Marks, Gary (2009): A Postfunctionalist Theory of European Integration: From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus. In: British Journal of Political Science 39 (1), S. 1–23.

Hutter, Swen; Grande, Edgar; Kriesi, Hansepeter (Hg.) (2015.): Politicising Europe: Towards Constraining Dissensus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.